At the Drop of a Mountain

 By Clem Latham

The landscape of Delphi in Greece was incredibly striking to me. Although as a group we spent less than a day in the city, one of the most memorable things about the area was how high up we were in the mountains. When looking off of balconies, it almost felt as if you were scaling a cliffside because of how vertical of a drop there was. On the one night we spent there, two friends and I went to a bar that our tour guide recommended. I don’t particularly like loud music, so the three of us decided to take our drinks out to the deck they had– and I cannot even express how pretty the view was. Beneath the deck felt like a straight drop, and even in the dead of night, you could see how far down the mountain valley went. I wish I could’ve taken pictures then and there, but alas, my phone doesn’t like the dark all that much. As we were up in the mountains, there was a damp chill outside but it created the perfect late night mountainside ambiance. The morning after, as I was rushing to get ready and get out the door, I still had to take a second and pause once I saw the view from our hotel. It was absolutely breathtaking in real life. Nothing makes you feel truly small like a miles-long valley that seems so far below you. 

            Going to Athens after that was like a whole different world. It was much flatter, and much more urbanized to the point that I can’t remember much about the landscape. To me, all cities have the same kind of feel, and Athens was no different. It was certainly nothing like Delphi! Although cities are nice in their own way, nothing can beat that beautiful view and feel of being up in the hills in Delphi.

Spanakopita: A Greek Staple

By Samm Carbone

A staple food for many Greeks is Spanakopita or spinach pie. This dish was offered to us twice as an appetizer before the main meal in two cities in Greece: Delphi and Athens. I had heard the name before but had never tried it prior to traveling, so I didn’t know that it was a signature Greek dish or what to expect from the texture and flavors. Spanakopita is a part of Greek culinary history and is traditionally made during celebrations and family gatherings. With how popular it was there and seeing it on every single menu, I will never forget it. 

When I think of a pie, I usually envision a pastry filled with sweet foods like fruits that would be served for dessert. Unlike sweet pies, which are golden with a smooth and glossy crust, Spanakopita has a wrinkled, fluffy appearance. This type of pie is served before the main dish or as a side and is savory in flavor. Spinach is definitely the most prominent ingredient contributing to the filling of the dish, and it is typically paired with good-quality feta cheese. Onions, garlic, and herbs like parsley and/or dill are added and combined into a filling with some eggs. Although depending on the region, the ingredients of the filling may be tweaked slightly. The filling is casseroled between layers of phyllo dough brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and baked to a golden brown. It comes out with a crispy, flaky crust and warm, savory filling that makes it the perfect comfort food, and it’s relatively healthy. 

Each time I was served this in Greece, the taste and texture followed the same basic ingredients and form, aside from whether it was served as a triangle or square piece. As an appetizer, it was plated by itself and cleared once the main dish was brought out. I like that it can be a meal by itself or a side dish for something else. It is a great plant-based meal option. The versatility, irresistible flavor, and cultural significance of Spanakopita make this dish one of the staples of Greek cuisine.

The Cats of Greece- contd.

 By Clem Latham

In Athens, the cat saga continued. By the time we left Athens, the cat count was up to 66, and my phone photos became full of random stray cats. Something very interesting about the stray cats in Athens was how you’d see them in random ruins throughout the city, going about their business as if they weren’t living in a piece of ancient history. It led to some of my favorite sights- seeing little cat food and water bowls atop the ruins of ancient Greek buildings. My favorite cat I saw was living all the way at the top of the Acropolis- it seemed unbothered by the intense winds and tourists milling about, and practically posed for me.

    This photo has to be one of my favorites, as it combines Greek cats with Greek ruins (the Temple of Athena Nike is visible in the background). It really warmed my heart to see how well the stray cats were treated in all of Greece, because it is not the same in America. At one point I witnessed a clump of 13 cats in one spot, just because someone was feeding them at that time. I personally feed the strays in my area at home, but neighbors often have… choice words about that. It really was so nice to see a culture that loves their strays. I also enjoyed how much cat merchandise they had in turn. I ended up getting my mom (a fellow cat-lover) a postcard with “The Kitty-Cats of Greece” on it, not to send her, but just as a souvenir to get across just how many cats there were. Overall, Greece is certainly the place to go if you’re a cat lover!

Standing at the Center of the World

By: Kirk G.

The town of Delphi is a quaint, mountainside village on… You guessed it, the mountain range of Delphi, which Greeks consider to be the center of the world. To contextualize “quaint”, the town is composed of two one-way roads: one moving east, and one west.  The mountains of Delphi hold much historical significance to the Greeks, specifically due to the prophetic Oracle of Delphi who is most known from the famous story of Croesus. As the story goes, Croesus, the king of Lydia, wanted to attack the Persian Empire. Croesus consulted the Oracle at the height of Mount. Parnassus and asked what would happen should he choose to wage war with Persia. The Oracle responded that “if Croesus invades Persia, he will destroy a great empire.” Croesus arrogantly interpreted this message as assurance that he would destroy the Persian Empire.  However, when he invaded, the kingdom that fell was his own. Other stories about the Oracle of Delphi have been popularized over the years, and the mountain site has been a location of much interest for tourists.  

Moving towards the peak of Mount Parnassus lies the temple to Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, the amphitheater of Delphi, and Delphi Stadium. Though the temple of Apollo in Delphi has weathered over the years, with the last and most destructive event being an earthquake in 373 B.C., it is under considerable preservation efforts. The amphitheater sits just above the fallen temple, overlooking the valley of olive trees below. During the time of its construction in the fifth century B.C., the amphitheater boasted a capacity of five thousand spectators to observe musical and dramatic performances. Further along the sacred way leads to the Stadium of Delphi. The Stadium of Delphi is the uppermost site on the mountain and the setting where the Pythian Games beginning in 582 B.C. were hosted.   

The ancient-rooted, cozy village of Delphi is a comfortable place to stay for anyone planning to make pilgrimage up the sacred way and experience the thrill of standing on what the Greeks call “the center of the world”.

The Cats of Greece

By Clem Latham

Delphi is definitely where I first noticed that Greece has a lot of cats. And I mean a LOT. After having seen two cats at a rest stop on the way to the Delphi, I just kept seeing more and more to the point where I started counting! I believe that by the time we left Delphi (having spent less than a full day there in total) I had seen around 25 or so cats. Considering how small of a city it is, that’s quite a lot! One important thing to note about these stray cats was how friendly they were. The strays of Delphi would come right up to passersby and meow at them and were very receptive to petting. As much as I wanted to pet them all, I was very wary about the possible fleas they might’ve carried. I later learned from our tour guide Steve that it is part of Greek culture to not get their strays spayed/neutered, which of course leads to stray populations only growing over time. It has to do with a desire to not take away the animal’s “manhood” so to speak. The people of Greece do feed and give water to all of these stray cats, so in a way, they're an important part of the community. I interact with a decent number of stray cats back home in America, and the difference both in their behavior and how we view them culturally is stark. In America, strays are very cautious and scared of humans, no matter how long you may feed them for. It’s also considered the right thing to do to get them fixed. However, as mentioned before, Greek cats are very lovey-dovey with anyone who dares give them the time of day!